Dog Lady & The Cuban Swimmer

Egged on by a dogged suitor, she is unable to achieve her best until the local curandera, or faith healer, a loony old woman who lives amid a horde of dogs, endows her with magic powers - which enable her to run swiftly on all fours and easily out distance her fellow competitors (M2,F5)

The Cuban Swimmer, deals with another instance in which Hispanic-Americans use athletic skills to propel themselves into the mainstream of middle-class life

Here the action involves a young woman endurance swimmer who races from San Pedro to Catalina Island while her family follows her in a leaky boat. As they bicker and exhort her, she begins to weary and stray off course - until a spiritual and magical intervention reinvigorates her and she resolves to "dive into the Milky Way and wash my hands in the stars" (M2,F3)